1960s One-Hit Wonders: They Had #1 Singles, Then Poof! Gone

By | September 13, 2017

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Left: Jeannie C Riley (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns). Right: Single jacket art for Zager and Evans' 'In The Year 2525.' Source: discogs.com

Remember "Alley-Oop?" How about "Winchester Cathedral" or "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye?" Many one-hit wonders of the '60s have stood the test of time as true classics; others remain head-scratchers to this day. Do you ever hear the urge to fire up "Mother-In-Law?" And what was up with "Dominique," the French song by The Singing Nun -- how does a song like that get to #1? 

All of these songs went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and none of them had a sequel. Although the artists themselves seemed to fade out of sight, many times their songs lived on; either standing on their own, being associated with movies or by being re-recorded by other artists.

Mark Dinning, 'Teen Angel'

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"Teen Angel" is a teenage tragedy song that was written by Jean Dinning and performed by Jean's brother, Mark Dinning. It went on to become a #1 hit on February 8, 1960. Mark Dinning never recorded another hit song and died of a heart attack in 1986 at the age of 52, in Jefferson City, Missouri. Strangely enough, the song was included in the soundtrack to the movie American Graffiti, begging the question, “Why didn’t this artist go any further?”